Saint John Mark

Saint Jerome assures us that Saint Mark was a disciple of Saint Barnabas. A few days after the deliverance of Saint Peter, Saint Paul saint Paul Apostle to whom Saint Rufus attached himself for his missions. and Saint Barnabas, who had come from the city of Antioch to Jerusalem to distribute the alms they had received from the faithful of Syria to the poor who were in Judea, engaged the holy disciple John-Mark to come with them when they were ready to return. Some time later, having been declared apostles of the Gentiles, and having been sent in this capacity by the Holy Spirit to announce the Gospel to distant nations, they departed that same year to go and fulfill this holy mission on the island of Cyprus.

The blessed Mark acc ompanied them, l'île de Chypre Place of preservation of the cross of the Penitent Thief. and he rendered them service everywhere, whether in the functions of their apostolate or even in their bodily needs. But we learn from the History of the Acts of the Apostles that when they had left Paphos to go to Asia Minor, and had arrived at Perga, in the province of Pamphylia, he separated from them to ret urn t Perge City in Pamphylia where John Mark left the apostles. o Jerusalem for reasons that history does not specify; Saint Paul, nevertheless, did not approve of the conduct of this disciple on this occasion, and he made his feelings known six years later, when he and Saint Barnabas prepared to make another journey to Asia, to see in what state the new Churches were then in the cities where they had come to preach the Gospel.

Saint Barnabas was indeed of the opinion to take the blessed John Mark with them on this journey; but Saint Paul did not consent to it, saying that it was not fitting to associate with a man who had separated from them, without there appearing to be any necessity, when they were in Pamphylia, and who had not had enough courage to accompany them in their ministry. There was therefore a contention between them which caused them to separate from one another. Saint Chrysostom Saint Chrysostome Patriarch of Constantinople whose support caused the exile of Anatolius. points out to us well on this subject that the severity of Saint Paul and the gentleness of Saint Barnabas were equally necessary to John Mark, and that both were of great utility to the disciple; that the firmness of the former made him open his eyes to the gravity of his fault, revealed to him its unfortunate consequences, and made him return to himself; and that the tenderness of the latter prevented him from falling into discouragement and made him conceive a great confidence in him, to profit from his advice and instructions and to attach himself to his person.

Indeed, Saint Paul having separated from Saint Barnabas, the latter took John Mark with him and associated him in his journey to Cyprus; it is perhaps for this reason alone that Saint Jerome gives to the one of whom we speak the quality of disciple of Saint Barnabas. From that time, it appears that Saint Barnabas engaged him again to accompany Saint Paul, and that, by this reunion with Saint Paul, John Mark repaired the fault he may have committed in leaving him; for there is every reason to believe that it is of him that Saint Paul makes the recommendations to Philemon and to the Colossians: he calls him Mark, cousin of Barnabas, in the Epistle he writes to the Colossians. He places him among the small number of conv erte Rome Birthplace of Maximian. d Jews who assisted him in Rome in his bonds: which makes it known that he was with him in that city during the years 62 and 63. Writing to the Colossians, he asks them to receive Mark well if he were to go to them, and speaks to them of some commissions that Saint Barnabas and he had given them for something that concerned him. It appears, in fact, that John Mark, after the release of Saint Paul, made a journey to Asia; he was there at least two years later, when Saint Paul wrote from his last prison the second epistle to Timothy, who was then in Asia; he asked him to bring him to Rome with him, saying that he was useful to him for the ministry of the Gospel.

We can hardly know more about this blessed disciple; what is most certain is drawn from the passages of Scripture marked here. Attempts have been made to confuse him with several others of the same name who were commendable; but, as there is nothing very convincing in what is reported of them, it is more appropriate to remain with what is more commonly believed. The Greeks have known nothing at least of his death and burial in the city of Ephesus, since, supposing that he was Bishop of Byblis (today Jbeil), in Phoenicia, be tween Byblis City in Phoenicia of which John Mark is said to have been the bishop. Berytus and Tripoli, they also mark his burial and his cult there. They give him the title of apostle and honor his memory on September 27. They are followed in this by the Latins, who seem to have spoken of him more particularly only since his name was inserted into the Roman Martyrology.

Tillement: Acta Sanctorum; Baillet. — Cf. Histoire des soixante-douze disciples, by Abbé Naimre.